


Got Their Backs

by Kira_Dattei



Series: Moments Between Missions [17]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Crew as Family, M/M, Space Husbands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-03-20 06:45:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13712136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kira_Dattei/pseuds/Kira_Dattei
Summary: Immediately follows THAT Question (Part 9)Shepard and Kaidan are engaged. This is big news for the Normandy crew and it won't go by unnoticed or not commented on.





	Got Their Backs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rayi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rayi/gifts).



> This literally happens right after THAT Question where Shepard and Kaidan got engaged.  
> I did consider making this a second chapter for that fic, but decided not to for a few reasons. 1: Everything else has been a one-shot and I didn't want one to be different by having multiple chapters. I'd miss something like that ^_^.  
> 2: This exists because of a comment that turned into a prompt and I want credit to go where it's due. Thank you Rayi for your comment-turned-prompt and I only hope you enjoy it. I had fun writing it and am figuring out what to do with your other prompt.  
> I also didn't go through and edit so I apologize for any mistakes. I'll be going back and editing mistakes out for the entire series at some point, I just need to get in an editing mood for it to happen. :)  
> Thank you everyone for reading and hope you enjoy!

Shepard and Kaidan had joined Garrus, James, Tali, and Liara in the kitchen about an hour ago. The four crew members killing time in the apartment were crowded in the kitchen as Kaidan sat on one of the stools with Shepard standing just off to his left, leaning against the counter. Shepard had lasted all of five minutes standing close enough to Kaidan to feel the heat of his body before he’d reached out and took Kaidan’s left hand in both of his. His fingers were spinning the ring he’d given Kaidan just minutes before they’d joined their friends.

It was going to be a long time until Shepard wouldn’t feel the urge to have his hands on that ring, that physical proof that things were almost official between them. He’d still mess around with it, just like he still messed around with Kaidan’s dog tag, but it wouldn’t be in response to a near need to have his hands on Kaidan and the ring on his finger.

Kaidan knew he was a tactile man and never denied Shepard touching him.

So, the biotic had just accepted that he was down one hand, set the datapad he’d brought out from the office down in front of him, turned on the display, and continued going through his reports as he listened to the rest of them while adding his own contributions whenever he felt the need. No one got on him for not giving them all his attention, familiar enough with him to know that sometimes he did better with people if he had something else to focus his mind on. And Kaidan had spent so many hours last night socializing that Shepard figured he’d earned plenty of time without having to deal with anyone he didn’t want to.

Not that there was award-winning conversation going on right now, Garrus and James fully committed to their argument about who could hold their alcohol better. At least they were being productive and putting away all the food they’d decided was necessary to bring in to Shepard’s apartment. Sure, every item took about a minute to get anywhere, which was why it was half an hour later and they still weren’t done, but it was happening and they weren’t making Tali and Liara do all the work. Actually, they weren’t making them do any of it, so that was even better.

The females had picked their own spots to relax and be amused by the entertainment offered. Liara was leaning across the counter from Shepard and Kaidan, leaning her hip against it so she could turn between the kitchen and the men seated outside it easily enough. Tali was seated on the counter next to the fridge, cutting in every once in a while to help Garrus make his point, just to take his side.

Shepard figured it was only a matter of time before those two stopped avoiding each other and were the next couple to make the announcement. It was about time he could get back at Garrus for the shit he gave Shepard for his relationship and both his friends deserved to be happy.

Kaidan gave a tug on his hand and Shepard recognized the prompt and let Kaidan have his hand back. Kaidan activated his omnitool, likely forwarding more reports to the datapad he was working on. Once he was done, the display was turned off and he placed his hand back in reach of Shepard.

It was as Shepard was moving to reclaim Kaidan’s hand that Liara glanced down at the movement and gave them a double-take. She leaned over the counter to grab hold of Kaidan’s hand and turned his palm down so she could clearly see the ring on his finger. She then looked over at Shepard’s hand and he held it up so she could see the ring on his own finger. It was then a few seconds of her eyes jumping between looking at Shepard and then Kaidan and back again.

Shepard had surprised the Shadow Broker. If only that could be put on his reputation’s list of accomplishments. He felt it belonged there.

And while Garrus and James had no idea anything was different, Tali had noticed Liara’s shift in demeanor and was looking their way as well but obviously hadn’t caught on to the cause.

“I am recalling human customs correctly in that rings on the left hand’s third finger is indicative of a commitment of marriage?” Liara finally said in a quiet tone so as to not be heard over the two males still competing behind her. At least she led with subtlety.

Shepard glanced over to Kaidan, who hadn’t stopped looking at his datapad even with Liara still holding onto his hand. But Shepard could see the red tint to the biotic’s cheeks and ears so it was likely just him getting a handle on his embarrassment before facing his friend.

“You’re remembering right,” Shepard answered, keeping his own tone low.

“When did you ask?”

Kaidan glanced up then. “Why are you sure he asked and not me?”

Liara looked over to him and gave him a slight smile. “Kaidan, I've spent the past month attempting to talk him into asking you. I thought it was only fair that he ask you to take this step in your relationship as you had been the one to ask about beginning your relationship.”

Kaidan looked over to Shepard and raised an eyebrow at him as if accusing, but there was a slight upturn to the corner of his mouth so he was fighting it being teasing.

Shepard would be forever thankful that he was so good at picking out those slight indicators in Kaidan’s nonverbals or he’d be screwed when it came to talking to the man.

“And here you’d done such a good job convincing me that this was all you’re figuring out and decision-making,” Kaidan jibed.

“I never implied either of those. I just omitted saying Liara had been encouraging me in a particular direction,” Shepard replied as he reached out and took Kaidan’s hand back from Liara, pulling the stool off to his left closer to Kaidan and sitting down so he could still be close.

Liara was now openly smiling, conveying how great of an idea she thought it was that he’d actually asked. She reached out again and laid her hands over Shepard and Kaidan’s, holding her friends with care and conveying her love for both of them in her touch.

“May the Goddess impart her favor upon you both for your union. You both are deserving of such.”

Kaidan smiled at the asari, showing how touched he was by the sentiment. “Thank you, Liara. We appreciate it so much.”

“Of course, Kaidan. Now, Shepard, you didn’t answer me.”

With her focus returned to him completely, Kaidan looked back down to his datapad and pretended he wasn’t listening anymore, getting Shepard to roll his eyes as the display.

“I asked while you guys were out.”

“Asked what?” Tali cut in, apparently having reached her limit on patience for waiting on an explanation across the room. Shepard had been so focused on Kaidan and Liara that he hadn’t noticed the quarian get off the counter and walk closer to them. And something had gotten either James or Garrus’ attention so they were looking their way as well now.

Well, that didn’t take any time at all to make the rounds. The entire crew would know by the end of the day, if not within the hour. Garrus and James loved being the ones to get the rumor mill going and wouldn’t hold back on the Normandy’s commanding officer and second-in-command getting engaged.

Oh well, it wasn’t like they’d expected or wanted it to be a secret, just as they’d never hidden their relationship; Shepard didn’t need to check in with Kaidan on that to know they were in agreement.

Shepard held up his left hand to show the ring, keeping a hold of Kaidan’s hand so he wouldn’t take it back. “Kaidan and I are going to submit for marriage.”

Tali took a few more steps forward and while her mask kept most of her reaction hidden, Shepard could see how her gaze was focused on his hand. “This is wonderful news, Shepard. Why was this not announced last night when all our friends were present to celebrate?”

“They needed more incentive to drink copious amounts of alcohol?” Kaidan said in a low voice, Shepard noticing his cheeks were red again. All the attention on them with such a personal topic being discussed was starting to embarrass him. Kaidan never liked being the topic of conversation.

Liara and Garrus were the only ones beside Shepard to hear him at his low volume, Tali’s suit and James not one to pay that much attention off the battlefield making them miss it.

Garrus’ mandibles shifted into his smile and he walked around the counter to stand behind Kaidan, grabbing onto his shoulders and giving him a slight shake. “Come on, Kaidan. You know alcohol is better when you’re celebrating a couple of hopeless saps decide to make it official to everyone how hopeless they really are.”

“I missed that announcement,” Kaidan responded as he let Garrus have his fun.

“Well, that’s just because you don’t receive anything that is even remotely related to fun. It goes against your moral code, right?”

“It runs in opposition to every fiber of my being, yes.”

Garrus’ mandibles twitched a little, obviously thinking over what he should say in response.

Garrus really shouldn’t try and tease Kaidan after wearing himself out competing with James. It never ended in his favor. And of course his first response would be to mess with them, though Shepard had been expecting to be the first choice there.

Apparently, Garrus gave up winning that round since he turned his attention to Shepard. “You hear that and you still want him to be your plus one forever?”

Shepard turned a bit on the stool so he could look back at Garrus a little easier. Garrus took that as a cue and let go of Kaidan, moving instead to lean his elbow against Kaidan’s shoulder and turning to face Shepard. Garrus wasn’t usually one to go for physical contact, especially with Kaidan, so Shepard figured this was how the turian had decided to keep up trying to get to the biotic.

Kaidan, for his part, was looking as stoic and nonplussed as ever, his eyes still focused on reading whatever he had displayed on his datapad.

At least Garrus was better about dealing with Kaidan’s lack of response than James was.

Speaking of, the Lieutenant had apparently decided it was his turn to chime in. “Scars may be onto something. I mean, what’s to say that without the threat of death by Reapers you guys’ll have any clue of how to deal with each other?”

“Kaidan isn’t the one around here who’s hard to deal with,” Shepard shot back easily enough. They just had to get through the initial teasing phase with these guys without Kaidan Throwing one across the room and they’d be fine. James and Garrus just had a first response of “asshole” they had to work through before they could be decent about anything.

To be fair, Shepard did the same thing sometimes so he couldn’t actually hold it against them.

“Says you, and I’m starting to think you’ve taken too many hits to the head to be thinking clearly on this,” James countered. “I mean, I’ve been trying to figure out his appeal to you and I’m just coming up blank. You’re Loco, he’s Ghost. What’s there in common for you to spend your lives talking about?”

“Irritation with you could hold us over for years,” Kaidan said before Shepard could give his own response, and Shepard saw how his fiancé – that would take a while to get used to thinking, then he’d have to get used to husband – was fighting a grin. Kaidan was thoroughly amused by this and wasn’t anywhere near scaring James with some biotics.

“Harsh, Ghost,” James said as he crossed his arms and gave Kaidan a dirty look.

Finally, Kaidan’s eyes pulled away from his datapad and he looked up to the other marine. “Keep this up and I’ll start being concerned about this coming from a place of jealousy. You already can’t stand that I beat you every time we spar so what’s to say you don’t like that John’s off the market because of me. And with this, it says he’s really serious about being unavailable for anyone else to date.”

Liara and Tali were fighting laughter at that and Garrus gave Kaidan a hearty pat on the back to show his appreciation of the shot.

“He just might be onto something, there, Vega. You do always ask about how things are going with them, like you’re waiting for the answer to change,” Garrus added.

“And you do make a point of attempting to make Shepard choose you for a landing party instead of Kaidan, despite you not having the same skillset as he does,” Tali contributed, her voice conveying just how amused she was by the turn of conversation. Because of her position as an Admiral and how serious she had to take pretty much everything, she looked forward to any time she could relax and let more of her personality come out. The last few days had been great for her in that regard.

“Are they onto something here, James?” Shepard joined in. “Steve hasn’t said anything so I was pretty doubtful, but these are some pretty strong arguments to the contrary.”

James threw his arms up in frustration and sighed. “Fine, I’m happy for you guys. You should be the centerfold for war relationships done right. Look forward to getting the invite to the party of the galaxy to celebrate. All that shit.”

Liara, Tali, and Garrus lost what was left of their composure and laughed at James’ surrender.

Shepard grinned and gave the burly man a shrug, “You picked the wrong approach: you were doomed from the start.”

“Garrus started it!”

“True, but you’re the one who kept it going. Even I know what points not to make. You can blame missing them dancing around each other for months when they first met.”

Kaidan looked over his shoulder to Garrus. “You had no idea Shepard was even interested that much until he told you we’d gotten together.”

“I wasn’t completely oblivious. I did know he was interested, just wasn’t sure if you really were enough to go through with it. That can’t be held against me, especially considering how horrible you were about letting anyone else know what the hell you were thinking about anything.”

“Of course I can. If it helps make my point, I’ll use every angle I have at my disposal. You just need to step up your tactics or you’ll never get one over on me.”

Garrus was quiet for a few seconds then asked Shepard, “What are we talking about?”

Liara laughed quietly at the turian’s attempt to gloss over Kaidan coming out on top over him after taking James out.

“Well, we were attempting to celebrate that Kaidan and Shepard have at last agreed to matrimony, as they should have many months ago,” Liara declared, giving Shepard a pointed look as she finished.

Shepard just rolled his eyes at her. Liara had first brought up if they were thinking about getting married about three months ago and she knew if he’d tried to do this earlier, it likely wouldn’t have ended as well as it did to ask today. Both he and Kaidan had needed a lot more settling into being together back then. Hell, they hadn’t even had their first fight by then.

“Right,” Garrus said as if it was the first time he’d heard the news. He reached over and patted Shepard on the shoulder like the good friend he was. “Well, you two are pathetic and so you should be pathetic together. It’s a hell of a lot better than when you guys start getting pathetic on your own. I do expect to be recognized for all the good I’ve done for your relationship’s success.”

Shepard released Kaidan’s hand and shoved against Garrus’ shoulder to knock him back a bit from Kaidan, Garrus allowing himself to be moved. “Don’t worry, you’ll get all the attention you deserve. I figure if I give you nothing but asshole advice for the next few months, we’ll be even.”

“That’s all I ask.” Garrus walked away from them toward the couch in front of the fireplace, activating his omnitool as he went, so Shepard figured the rest of the Normandy crew was about to get the news.

“You guys can stop talking like there’s going to be some sort of ceremony or party. We’re just putting the paperwork through to Hackett to change our status. Since he’ll get it sent wherever it needs to go, it’s all we need to do.”

“Is Admiral Hackett aware of the relationship between the two of you?” Tali asked.

“There’s been changes to our personal files that he’s acknowledged that are pretty telling of us being in a relationship,” Kaidan replied, setting his datapad off to the side. “If he hasn’t figured it out, I’ve lost all faith in his deductive reasoning and common sense.”

“I see. You are hoping that he hasn’t realized that such a relationship exists and that you will catch him off-guard with the documentation,” Liara deduced with a smile.

“Got it in one,” Shepard said with his own grin. “The best part is I’m likely to catch Anderson with the news, too.” He turned to Kaidan to state, “Don’t you dare remove him from the forwarding list of the message.”

Kaidan patted his arm and gave him a tolerant look. “I wouldn’t dream of ruining your grand scheme of getting at least one over on Anderson. Last time I checked, destroying your partner’s dreams and aspirations is an indication of an unhealthy relationship.”

Kaidan was in a great mood, Shepard noted, so he reached up and reclaimed Kaidan’s hand in his own. Kaidan’s comfort around other people was what decided how hands-on Shepard was with him and he was obviously completely accepting of staying relaxed while they were still on shore leave and around friends they wanted to share this great news with. So little good news made its way to them, whatever they got needed to be given all the attention they could spare.

Garrus suddenly called from the couch, “You’ve got an hour. We’re meeting people over at Purgatory to make sure you both get all the attention you’re trying to avoid.”

“Yes, because you make that seem like we’re missing out.”

“Hey, you don’t even need to commit much time to it going to a bar. Half an hour and Kaidan can play his get-out-of-social-situations-free card,” James said before Garrus could say something, though it would have probably been along the same lines. At Kaidan’s raised eyebrow, James elaborated to clarify, “You know, the whole issue you have where you can’t stand exposure to fun situations for too long or you break out into hives. We talked about this.”

“Also known as sensory induced migraines, but sure, you’re sort of close to being right,” Kaidan allowed James some teasing.

“Fifty-nine minutes!” Garrus called. “And forty of those minutes don’t count since that’s for getting there.”

Shepard looked over to Kaidan with a questioning expression. He wouldn’t make him go if he really didn’t want to and everyone else did understand Kaidan’s limitations, even if they gave him shit about it.

But Kaidan just looked back and gave a nod of assent, letting him know that he was fine to go for as long as he could manage. With it being a bar, a headache would hit him at some point, but it wasn’t going to stop Kaidan from doing what he could as long as he was able.

The biotic stood up from his stool and stepped around Shepard’s back, his hand running across his shoulders. “I’m just going to grab one of my jackets from upstairs,” he said before heading toward the stairs, the sound of his steps fading quickly enough with other people in the apartment to mask the little noise the man made while in civvies.

Shepard was about to stand and go grab his own jacket from where he’d tossed it next to the piano, the black and red leather one he wore around the Citadel, but stuttered a bit as it suddenly hit him in the back of the head and covered his face. He pulled it off his head and turned to glare back at Garrus, who had moved to stand a few meters behind him and was watching him with his arms crossed and looking grave. He usually only looked at people he was going to shoot like that. He turned back toward his other friends to see they’d followed Garrus’ lead.

It was time they spent some time apart if this sort of coordination was what they were capable of pulling against him; he knew the three still in the kitchen hadn’t opened their omnitool to read a message.

So, he just turned around to face Garrus a bit more and let the turian get whatever it was off his chest.

“John,” Garrus started, making Shepard blink in surprise. This may be the first time his best friend had _ever_ called him by his first name. He’d almost been convinced that Garrus didn’t know it if Shepard wasn’t certain about how good the turian was about knowing details like that. “Feel free to mess up with this. That’s actually sort of supposed to happen between spouses. Just don’t fuck it up.”

“I already did,” Shepard replied evenly, never able to forget how hurt Kaidan had been on Horizon. He knew that just because they’d been able to find their way back to each other after that, it wasn’t any guarantee that a second huge mistake like that would garner the same result. “I learned my lesson. I’m going to do everything I can to make sure I’ll always deserve him.”

Garrus’ mandibles shifted and Shepard knew his friend was smiling. “Good to hear, especially since Liara is the one you’ll have to deal with if you do fuck up. Probably Chakwas and Michel will join her to make death by Reapers the better option.”

Shepard rolled his eyes at how quickly Garrus was jumping between approaches. Honestly, he’d expected the friendly advice to not fuck things up – he’d talked with Garrus a few times about what Kaidan meant to him and they’d been good friends long enough for the turian to really understand – just not for it to come off in quite this manner.

“So, what? You’re saying if we ever split up, Kaidan gets you in the divorce?” Shepard asked.

James laughed behind him as Garrus just shrugged noncommittally. “To be determined,” he added before turning toward the stairs. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go deliver a similar threat to your better half.”

“I thought you were my better half!” Shepard called as he walked away, then found the collar of his jacket to put it on. “If he Throws you, I’m laughing!” he added.

* * *

Kaidan wasn’t entirely sure how he ended up in the middle of his female crewmates. It just happened that way.

Glancing over to the next table where Shepard was trying to maintain some semblance of control over Garrus, James, Wrex, and Joker, Kaidan figured he’d ended up on the better side of that equation anyway.

And it wasn’t like it was just the females, with Liara, Tali, EDI, Traynor, and Chakwas surrounding him. Steve was to his right and Javik – the prothean surprising Kaidan by even showing up – was across the table. So, it was more that Kaidan had the quiet table and Shepard’s side was a bit more boisterous. Traynor and Tali were also switching between the tables every once in a while, following conversation as it was interesting to them and fitting in just a well on both sides. It was like a continuation of the party the previous night, just a little more focused by there being less people.

Strange that Garrus had gone through with a more conservative announcement only inviting those who were either current crew members or who had been on the SR-1, therefore familiar to Kaidan and not just Shepard.

Kaidan would ask before he was grateful.

They’d been at Purgatory for about an hour already, the crew settling into comfortable conversation within minutes of arriving and giving their congratulations. They weren’t hitting the alcohol too hard, conscientious of their shore leave ending tomorrow, but they were still having fun.

Kaidan was starting to settle into the background of conversation, feeling the prickle of tension around his eyes that preceded his headaches. He still had a good hour before he’d really start feeling it and would have to consider calling it a night, but he could at least take some preventative measures to maybe make it to when Shepard wanted to leave for once.

Switching over to observation more than interaction meant that Kaidan started to think about things a bit more, though. He’d been riding the rush of John’s proposal and now he was processing it a bit.

There was no doubt, of that he was positive. There’d been little in his life that he was as certain of as this being exactly what should happen between him and John. He loved John, as much as he felt he could love someone and he’d happily commit the rest of his life to the man. And he knew John well enough to not doubt how he felt about Kaidan.

John never would have asked him if he had a shred of doubt that it was what he wanted.

Kaidan looked down to his left hand where it was resting on the table, the simple silver band drawing his gaze easily, just as the feel of it there kept catching his attention.

He almost didn’t want to get used to it like he knew he would. And he’d likely get used to it fast, considering all he’d had to get used to feeling through his life as a biotic: dealing with the implant and amps had its perks, he guessed. But he felt like he always wanted to be as aware of this display of his relationship as he was now.

“You good, Alenko?” Steve asked, his voice low and close to Kaidan. The biotic looked over to the other man before glancing around the table to see everyone focused in on whatever EDI and Javik were discussing.

Kaidan admitted he was probably missing out on something very entertaining with those two, their levels of naivete and misunderstanding of social norms in the galaxy playing off each other fantastically.

He focused back over to Steve and answered in a voice just loud enough to be heard over the plentiful noise around them. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he answered just as his mind wandered to what he knew of Cortez’s history.

He hadn’t talked to the man about his loss for multiple reasons. First and foremost, he wasn’t comfortable bringing up something so personal no matter how well they got along. Second, talking about a lost loved one was not only a sore spot for Kaidan because of Shepard’s death, but also because he was mostly avoiding thinking about his father’s disappearance. Third, he figured he wasn’t an ideal person to be around while trying to recover composure as Steve would likely need: while Kaidan knew he was a caring person, his own social awkwardness tended to get in the way when it came to helping others with grief.

Steve suddenly chuckled, catching Kaidan’s attention and he realized he’d been staring at the man for likely longer than he wanted. The pilot gave him a kind pat on the bicep as he shifted in his seat to face Kaidan a bit more directly.

“You know, I’ve been pulling for you guys ever since Garrus spilled the beans on your history together,” Steve opened the conversation for them.

Kaidan scoffed at that. “Figures it was Garrus, though I was expecting it to be Joker.”

“Well, I did hear Joker telling James about you two dating before when we were on our way to the Citadel after you got hurt.”

“He does have issues with needing to know everything,” Kaidan interjected in a deadpan, gaining a laugh from Steve.

“He does. I didn’t really pay it much attention since Joker has something of a reputation for tall tales. Shepard told Garrus about what happened to you on Mars while on the shuttle back from Palaven and when we docked, he took it upon himself to make sure I knew why we should expect a short fuse from the Commander.”

That sounded right. Palaven was in trouble if they tried to put Garrus in a diplomatic position: their turian friend believed in transparency a little bit too much and what didn’t come from a place of honesty came from how amused he got by messing with people.

Focusing back on what Steve had started with, Kaidan brought them back to that, “So, what exactly were you rooting for with us?”

“Pretty much exactly this. I’ve see the way you two look at each other, no matter where you’re at. You guys balance each other out and you’re happy together. Everything else you’ll figure out as you go.”

Kaidan hesitated a few seconds before he had the thought that maybe Steve wanted to talk about and remember his husband. “If you don’t mind me asking, was that how it was with your husband?”

Steve’s expression remained mostly happy, with only a touch of the sadness of his loss. So, he’d made some progress on accepting the death of the man he’d loved, the man he likely still loved since that didn’t go away.

Kaidan knew that much.

“It really was,” Steve answered, his voice fond and his emotions lacing his words. “It’s easy to look back and only see the good, but to pretend the bad didn’t happen is a disservice to Robert. Every minute I had with him was a part of who we were and I wouldn’t change a thing about that.”

“I’m really sorry for your loss,” Kaidan said, genuinely wanting to express his sadness for what Steve had endured.

Steve gave him an accepting nod before seemingly shaking off the somber mood to give Kaidan another smile. “One day at a time, Major. We know the score of what we’re doing here. So, don’t hesitate to take everything you can get with him for as long as you can. And since neither one of you do anything half-assed, I doubt your problems will come from a lack of commitment.”

Kaidan laughed a bit at that, acknowledging that it was a legitimate observation. Both he and Shepard were all in on this thing between them as soon as it started and that hadn’t waned.

It was part of why he was so confident in this.

They’d be fine.

“The vote of confidence is appreciated. With James and Garrus, it can be difficult to find the support through the asshole comments they’re known for. Garrus even closed his side out by threatening me if I ever fucked it up.”

“He pull that before you guys came here?”

“Yeah. He waited until Shepard and I were in separate rooms and gave us both the speech. Apparently, he threatened Shepard with Liara’s wrath.”

“I’d laugh, but it might have been accurately moot. She has a serious soft spot for you that might just surpass her loyalty and love for Shepard.”

“Maybe. It’s not something I’m in a hurry to get the answer to.”

“So, you didn’t just take that, did you? You don’t exactly have a reputation for letting Garrus mouth off to you.”

“He might have spent the next minute or so stuck in the bedroom after I’d left.”

Steve raised an eyebrow at that declaration. “I thought you had your amp powered down for shore leave.”

“I do.” Kaidan actually had clearance for the power controls on his own amp as a field medic through his omnitool, but that wasn't something he really told anyone. He actually wasn’t sure if Shepard knew about that since it was medical and therefore Chakwas’ territory.

There was a reason he was classified as one of the most powerful biotics in the Alliance, and being able to materialize a Stasis strong enough to hold for a minute without an active amp was a solid example of why. And Garrus cussing him out for the next few minutes had been worth the drops of blood he’d wiped away from his nose.

Steve definitely looked impressed and he was only going off of the standard knowledge and understanding of how human biotics worked.

“But it was either a Stasis or a Throw and I don’t actually like breaking shit in Shepard’s apartment.”

“How altruistic of you,” Shepard’s voice just to Kaidan’s left startled Kaidan and his body was turning with an elbow aimed for the face. Thankfully, Shepard knew him well enough to have his hand ready to stop the motion and save himself from a broken nose.

And now Kaidan was stuck wondering when Shepard had kicked Tali out of her seat to slide in right beside him like that. Kaidan wasn’t _that_ ignorant of his surroundings, especially while in public. He’d blame being literally surrounded by people he trusted his life with.

He took in a deep breath to regain control of his heart rate as he looked over his shoulder to Shepard, who let his hand run along Kaidan’s arm and down to wrap around his wrist.

“Join me for a minute?” Shepard asked.

Kaidan looked at him in confusion at the request. Shepard wasn’t asking him to leave, so what could he want? “What for?” he decided to just ask.

Shepard gave him a coy look. “Where’s the trust?”

Well, that was a cheap shot.

“Fine, let’s go, but I reserve rights to elbow you if this is something Garrus put you up to.”

Now Shepard laughed. “Are you kidding? He’s still pissed at me for laughing at him at the apartment. Even though I gave him fair warning that it’s what would happen, he still thinks pulling attitude is the way to go.” Kaidan was grinning as well now as Shepard pulled him by the wrist to stand and they stepped out from behind the table and Shepard led him up the stairs toward a familiar corner of the bar.

Once they reached the edge of the somewhat busy dance floor, Shepard loosened his grip on Kaidan’s wrist before he turned and looked at the biotic, light blue eyes meeting warm brown easily.

“Wanna dance?” Shepard asked smoothly, like this was something he asked Kaidan all the time.

And Kaidan really couldn’t help but laugh. “Really, Shepard? Dancing is about the only thing we’re equally bad at. You have no rhythm and I’m just awkward.”

Shepard didn’t seem discouraged in the least. In fact, he just took a step closer to Kaidan so he could lower his voice a bit and not be heard by the people around them. “Who says we’re dancing to whatever this is? Besides, I swear these guys are purposefully seeing how long they can keep us at separate tables. Actually, I’m pretty sure Joker has some sort of bet going towards that end.” Shepard took another small step forward, crowding in close to Kaidan’s body. “I didn’t get the chance last night and I’m sure as hell not letting the opportunity pass me by again. So, what do ya say? Shall we commemorate our engagement and marriage with a dance?”

John Shepard really could be a hopeless romantic when he wanted. And this time was definitely on purpose, unlike half of the other times Kaidan thought what he’d done had qualified.

So, Kaidan gave him a smile and answered, “I’d be honored, Commander.” It wasn’t often that their titles were used while in a personal capacity, but Kaidan couldn’t resist and the laugh he got from Shepard was worth it.

Shepard just took his hand instead and stepped backwards onto the dance floor, Kaidan following the motion to remain close. They only moved a few strides to be just on the outside of everyone else dancing. Once they claimed a bit of floor for themselves, Shepard let go of Kaidan’s wrist so he could slide both arms around his waist, his body moving in even closer so they were pressed securely against one another. Kaidan felt the other man’s hands press against his side and lower back, reaching under his jacket but remaining respectfully above his shirt. And knowing Shepard, he’d wanted to get his hands on Kaidan’s skin but had managed to restrain himself. Once Shepard’s arms were securely around the biotic, his right hand held onto his left wrist to hang low around Kaidan, his fingers brushing against the swell of Kaidan’s ass but not purposefully reaching for it.

Kaidan set his hands on Shepard’s arms, feeling the solid muscle there that he regularly appreciated, the strength there always putting Kaidan at ease. Then he slid his hands up to Shepard’s shoulders and then around to rest his forearms there. His right hand curled closer to Shepard’s skull, his fingers caressing along the buzzed hair. He let his other arm relax to slide back forward until he was able to hold onto the back of Shepard’s neck, leaning closer as he urged Shepard to rest their foreheads together.

They were moving, swaying back and forth in a manner completely counter to everybody else dancing around them. They were alone in this crowd and they couldn’t have been more content. Their eyes stayed locked on one another, comfortable to just take in the emotions they could see expressed.

At some point, Shepard moved in to kiss Kaidan, starting with just a light brush of lips, a shadow of the passion they usually shared. He pulled away enough to get a clearer sight of Kaidan and the love he saw directed toward him before he leaned back in and initiated a much deeper kiss. The action was familiar and filled with all the emotions they held for one another. All the love, the loyalty, the happiness they had when they were together, it was all there holding them together while everything else seemed to be wanting to make it harder for them to be like this.

As Shepard’s tongue made one final press against Kaidan’s and retreated as he pulled away, he kept their lips resting against each other so they breathed the same air. Kaidan let out a deep sigh of contentment at the pleasure Shepard had managed to bring back to the surface so easily.

Tomorrow, it was back to saving the galaxy. But tonight was for them to hold onto, to have for those moments when they weren’t so sure why they were risking everything every time they went on mission. This was what they were coming back to. This was their sanity check and it would stay that way for as long as they were together.

Sure, the moment was interrupted a few minutes later when their friends decided that they’d been left out of things for long enough, but that only made it that much more important. After all, their friends were part of who they were.

He really got the point when his omnitool pinged with a received message once he and John returned to the apartment. It was from Steve with a picture attached. While the picture was taken that moment before Shepard kissed him the first time, the text read simply: “This is what we see. Questions?”

**Author's Note:**

> I don't usually write for Steve. He's not a character I'm as familiar with and I'm trying to rectify that. But when I was figuring out the fic, I decided he was one to hear from so he got to talk to Kaidan. I'm happy with it.  
> I hope you enjoyed reading. If you have an idea for a prompt, please send it my way through a comment since I'm not really on Tumblr or another site like that. I've got a few in the works and look forward to bringing more to you all.  
> Thank you for reading and I'll see you next time!


End file.
